The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-10-09
OF INTEREST TO WOMEN.
Removal of the Intellectual Strain on Leaders
of the German-Feminine Gossip Sorts.


of the German-Feminine Gossip Sorts.
Dances and Dancing.
specia to the indianapolis journal
NEW YORK. Oct 8.-"Fashions in dances
change about once in three years"
This sta tenent. coming from one of the Oldest
and best known dancing masters in the country,
carried with it a certain weight OF authority.
Changes in dances and in dancing all
matter of fashion. of course. Americans de-
mand novelty in everything. 1t taxes a certain
length of time to introduce q new dance, though,
and hence the cycle is, as gave 1t to you, about
three years. The first year I call preparation:
that is while people finding out the exis-
tence of the dance and learning to perform it
he second year is execution; that is while it is
popular and all the dance programmes include it.
The third year is decadence that is the last of
it. You no sooner get good dance than you
throw it away again"
"And what is the place of the coming season
in your cycle?"
at is about the second year. This is going to
be a dancing winter. Everybody will dance and
it will be the best year in long time to really
get new dances put upon the floor"
What are some Of the new dances going to
ber'
'Well. the idea of having eight couples in ~
set instead of four is going to take nightly. to
all appearance. and people are going to dance in
octagons instead Of squares. The first dance OF
this sort, the original 'Octagon. is very pretty
and very intricate. The eight couples required
to form it are divided into side couples and cor
ner couples. and they face another, to
make an octagonal figure. It is made up of five
numbers, each having several figures. and is a
very artistic dance, with graceful courtesying.
gliding ana salusine. The Octagon is full OF
onal and parallel lines. It has novel steps in 1t,
too and dancers take to it because Americans
hate to stand STILL and it keeps all eight couples
in motion at once"
The Octagon, so the professor OF the terpsi-
chorean art went to inform me, will relieve
the strain on the intellects of the couples who
lead the german this winter, supplying an
amount of variety that will do away with any
call for improvisations except where original
genius comes bubbling up of its own accord and
is not forced. The most intricate new dance
that most trippers of the light fantastic will be
introduced to this winter is . revival Of the
stately old court dances. and is dubbed the Mis-
tletoe Miuuette. 1t is a complex dance. difficult to
MASTER amusinelv solemn and very picturesque.
Only devotees will learn it, but it is very
graceful dance, and like tas Ocsaeon. will go
we'll in the german. Both these dances take a
large space to do them in properly. and it is
limited that there will be some elaborate cos
tuning at a carnival or two on whose lists they
are already set down. There are only two new
round dances that one will hear much of this
winter. the Columbia and the American eavotte,
stirring, animated things. both, that will add to
the life of the ballroom.
Standard time for dancing is ono OF the things
to be insisted this winter Faster: that's
too slow for us; we can't dance to that time" is
the usual appeal TO the leader of the orchestra
or the musicians. Cant help it; standard
time; we play by the metronome." will be the
memorable reply when tho instruments tune up
next Waltz, "a time. 60 measures, 1872 beats
to the minute; polka. time So measures. 1l6
beats; schottische. A time. Sc measures, la
beats sa0D p tim, time y "a beats
ouadrille and lapciers. 6-8 time, So measures,
ll6 beats: such is the latest decree of fate, that
is of that light-footed body, the American Society
Of Professors of Dancing, and they have nearly
all the m usicians in the country bound fast In
their league. They have decided it, they tell
you how you should dance aud they know all
about 1t. To do the gyratiug professors justice
they have reduced dancing to a science in this
country. The same dance means the same thing
everywhere, is danced in the same way and to
the same time with precision that Is every
season increasing.
Americans are the best dancers in the
world"
The sentence sounded positive. "How about
the German Waiting and French dancers7"
ventured to inquire.
"Over there they are not progressive. They
never change They dance now just they
danced forty years ago. In Paris and in Lon
don, too the dancing is what should call
couple move at a time It is the first lady and
opposite gentleman, forward and back. cross
over and SO on through all the evolutlons, the
rest of the set waiting their turn. We did away
with that ter years ago. and the whole set
dances at once Our dancing is more of a study
than theirs"
with ali your new things you have not su-
perseded the waltz"
''Nor ever likely to; but all our dances
change. Thirty or forty years ago q lady danced
we'll or ill, according to the number of steps
difficult steps. too-that she could take Ia fig
ure. Then the steps were dropped and every
body walked through the figures. Now people
are introducing steps again. whole set taking
the same ones they all move together in the
same direction. There is the waltz People
who learned it ten years ago can't dance it now.
The new waltz is combination of waltz and
redowa, very delightful but very different
Where has the polka Rone7 1t has disappeared
except in the german. The 1anciers keeps its
name. but 1T is new dance. Society wants to
be tckled with new dances with new play
things. It throws them away very soon, but it
dances them well while it dances them at all"
ELIZA p. HEAToN.
ynfa